For some, online anonymity offers playful escapism, allowing them to reinvent themselves, role-play as a dolphin, or express unfiltered thoughts without concern for judgment from conservative family members or a restrictive workplace. For others, anonymity is vital for revealing their true selves, especially when faced with an unaccepting family or society.
A digital alter ego may be their sole avenue for unfettered expression and connection with those of similar mindsets. To maintain a distinction between one’s online presence and real-world identity, it is crucial to recognize the identifiers that can compromise anonymity.
To safeguard your virtual identity, one must assess potential risks to their anonymity, categorized as low, medium, or high, and implement corresponding preventative measures.
Internet Protocol(IP) address
Risk level: HIGH
Your home, mobile phone, and office each possess distinct identifiers assigned by your internet service provider (ISP). Although your ISP might occasionally issue a new identifier, two requests emerging from different accounts but sharing an IP address within a brief interval are a strong sign of association.
The ability to ascertain the ZIP code linked to an IP address or acquire additional personal details hinges on your location and ISP and may involve transactions with your ISP or a marketing firm.
Optimized Solution
Utilize the Tor Browser, as it assigns a unique circuit and IP address to each tab for enhanced privacy. It is advisable to supplement this with a VPN for additional security. In instances where Tor is inaccessible or incompatible with certain sites, regularly changing your VPN server location when switching accounts is recommended.
Metadata in documents and images
Risk level: HIGH
Microsoft Word, cameras, and various software embed substantial metadata in your files, which can include details like your operating system version, GPS coordinates, or your name, potentially revealing your identity.
Optimized Solution
Utilize metadata removal tools like ImageOptim for MacOS, Microsoft Office Document Inspector for Windows, and Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit for Linux.
URL shortening tools or services.
Risk level: HIGH
A URL shortener condenses lengthy web addresses into brief, manageable links through redirection. Typically operated by third-party services, these tools are simple to establish. Although not inherently harmful, shortened URLs can be exploited to reroute users to dubious websites, execute phishing schemes, implant cookies, and harvest sensitive data like browser type, operating system, and IP address.
Optimized Solution
Avoid clicking on shortened URLs unless necessary. Utilize tools such as unshorten.it to reveal the destination of a condensed link. When you unshorten a URL, the original creator receives only the information from the unshorten-ing tool, not your data, although they can detect that you’ve expanded the link.
Plugins, add-ons, extensions, and apps.
Risk level: HIGH
Exercise caution with browser plugins, email client extensions, and applications developed for sensitive platforms. Although certain extensions can enhance your security, others may compromise it. These plugins interface closely with your email and browser, having the capability to access your emails, monitor your browsing activity, and alter web content.
Optimized Solution
Install applications solely from reputable, official maintainers to safeguard your privacy and security, and avoid engaging in beta testing where risks are involved.
Phishing, malware, hacking
Risk level: HIGH
Public figures and individuals with adversaries are at a heightened risk of phishing and malware attacks. Malware, frequently traded and customizable online, becomes more potent when tailored to specific targets.
Optimized Solution
Maintain updated software, exercise caution when inputting passwords, and scrutinize your clicks. Enable two-factor authentication for your accounts.
Text message authentication.
Risk level: HIGH
Services frequently require customers to provide phone numbers, which are instrumental for two-factor authentication and facilitate the integration of user identities, especially as numerous services offer or may introduce a search-by-phone number option.
Optimized Solution
Maintain anonymity by utilizing a prepaid SIM card with a sufficient balance to avoid deactivation for all your aliases.
Public Records
Risk: LOW to HIGH
Access to records differs significantly based on jurisdiction. Voter, property, or vehicle registration information may be publicly accessible depending on the state or country. Conversely, filing a police report can result in a public document that includes personal details such as your name and address.
Optimized Solution
Incorporating a company is cost-effective in some nations and safeguards the anonymity of its shareholders and directors. This legal structure can conceal the ownership of assets such as a house or car from nearly everyone except the local tax authority.
Cookies
Risk: MEDIUM
A cookie is a file saved on your computer by visiting websites, which recognizes you, allowing for seamless access without requiring a login at each visit. Third-party advertisers also set cookies to track your browsing habits across different websites, rapidly linking your alternate identities.
Optimized Solution
When using the Tor Browser, closing and reopening it will clear the cache, facilitating account switches. Alternatively, configure your browser to discard all cookies upon restart, or employ an incognito window for separate identities. Ideally, use distinct browsers for each persona or set up multiple profiles within your browser.
Interpersonal Relationships
Risk: MEDIUM
Your social connections reflect your identity. When you establish several chat service accounts with access to your contacts, the service can link them, regardless of the device ID and IP address differences. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook may share your account information. Following similar feeds with multiple Twitter accounts could lead to them being associated.
Optimized Solution
Exercise caution when granting applications access to data. Ensure separation of contacts across different identities and refrain from sharing them with third-party services.
Digital Transactions
Risk: MEDIUM
Numerous services, including hosting platforms, freelance marketplaces, and retail outlets, mandate payment. Each time you transact with your credit or debit card, the merchant gains access to your full name and card details.
Optimized Solution
Acquire a reloadable prepaid debit card for each identity to prevent traceability. For online transactions, consider using cryptocurrency (e.g. bitcoin) as an alternative payment method.
Browser fingerprinting
Risk: LOW
Browser fingerprinting tracks users by gathering their unique browser characteristics, like type, settings, plugins, and OS details, to form a distinct profile for personalized content or ads. While useful for businesses, it poses privacy issues by allowing relentless user tracking online, bypassing traditional methods like cookies or IP tracking.
Optimized Solution
Avoid customizing browsers associated with multiple identities through add-ons or screen size alterations. Instead, use distinct browsers for separate accounts, or opt for the privacy-centric Tor Browser.
Device Identifiers
Risk: LOW
Devices, particularly mobile ones, possess distinctive identifiers known as device IDs. Various app developers with access to these IDs may have ulterior motives beyond advertising. Additionally, each network card contains a unique MAC address which is transmitted to the router during Wi-Fi login, potentially allowing for the correlation of multiple accounts.
Optimized Solution
Operating systems such as iOS may randomize MAC addresses. Avoid downloading applications from unverified sources to prevent unauthorized harvesting of your device ID.
Delivery of online purchases.
Risk: LOW
To maintain your privacy, cautious online shopping is challenging when the merchant’s information security history is untrustworthy.
Optimized Solution
Utilize reshippers to obscure details from merchants and direct shipments to an alias. Maintain a ready authorization slip to collect parcels under this pseudonym if questioned.
Safeguarding Your Online Anonymity
A tailored comprehensive solution is necessary to accommodate your requirements. Maintaining distinct identities can incur substantial costs, especially if you allocate an exclusive laptop for your online presence.
The subsequent options offer incremental improvements. Prioritize the guidance in point 1. Should that prove unfeasible, proceed with the recommendations in points 2, 3, and so forth. Your choice may vary based on the significance of segregating your identities and the convenience factor.
- Establish a dedicated device, tailored from the ground up specifically for your alter ego. Install a well-suited operating system, set up a unique login, incorporate a dedicated web browser, and configure a distinct email service, social media platforms, and a separate password manager. This solution provides a robust segregation for your varying identities. Implement different VPN locations for each device to enhance your security.
- Consider utilizing an unrivaled operating system like TAILS for your distinct persona. It can be installed on a portable USB stick and utilized on your standard computer. This method ensures a challenging transition between your primary and secondary accounts, as it necessitates a system reboot each time. However, it guarantees that no data is stored where it shouldn’t be, and metadata is significantly easier to sanitize.
- Craft a distinct account on your computer for this persona, incorporated with a unique username and password. This will ensure that your browser profiles are distinct, restricting the sharing of cookies, and enabling the use of a different password manager profile. As you navigate between accounts, make use of separate VPN locations.
- Employ a unique browser dedicated exclusively to your alternate identity. This ensures that your browser cannot be fingerprinted and prevents cookie sharing. However, it is essential to note that all your browsing activities will still be conducted through the same IP address. Employing a VPN ensures that this IP address cannot be easily traced back to you, but may still be sufficient to link two accounts. As a preventive measure, switch server locations whenever necessary.
- Configure a unique browser profile for each identity. These identities can be tailored within your browser’s settings, and you can even assign them unique appearances to serve as a visual reminder of the identity currently in use.
What to Do If Your Secret Identity Is Compromised
No precautions can ensure complete anonymity; however, you can take steps to facilitate your concealment in the shadows. Should parts of your identity be exposed, and sufficient fragments surface, your guise will be compromised.
- Make it a regular practice to delete all cookies from your web browser. While this action will effectively log you out of all your active accounts, it also ensures the elimination of any dormant information that you might inadvertently be sharing.
- If you are utilizing a prepaid SIM card, consider the periodic acquisition of a new phone number. However, it’s crucial to maintain a period of overlap where you still retain your old number, serving as a safety precaution in case of any unexpected issues.
- Should your home ISP have allocated you a static IP, feel free to request a new one intermittently.
- Avoid persistently utilizing the same VPN location. Diversification is key to online security.
- Seek assistance with utmost confidentiality
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